The third in InterPoker's popular Extreme Poker Challenge tournaments
came to its spectacular climax this week as Nick Grudzien took on
three other InterPoker.com online qualifiers and poker star Phil Laak.
Grudzien was the last one still flying after some frenzied airborne
poker, and was declared the champ.
The latest Extreme Poker Challenge, dubbed "Loser's Leap"
required the players to take to the air for the last game....and as
each player was eliminated, he had to jump from the plane and parachute
back to earth.
"Extreme Poker is all about keeping your cool under extreme
duress, and I can't think of a more stressful situation than knowing
that you must fall 15 000 feet from a moving aircraft if your opponent
calls your bluff," said Peter Marcus, spokesperson for
InterPoker.com and creator of Extreme Poker. "Trying to
concentrate in a bustling casino during the World Series of Poker
is tough, but after taking a bad beat and plunging to the desert below,
the Main Event should be a walk in the park for our InterPoker.com
players."
Once the plane was in the air and the game was underway, it didn't
take long for players to start busting out and leaping from the plane.
Online qualifier Patrick Neary was the first to go after only fifteen
minutes. A few minutes later, Grudzien called an all-in from Phil
Laak and sent him parachuting to the desert below.
"The pressure in this game was unbelievable, knowing that
if someone called my bluff, I would have to jump out of a plane,"
said Laak. "Now that I'm done, I want to get right back
up there and do it again."
Grudzien quickly eliminated the other two online qualifiers, Jamie
Glasser and Fraser Linkletter, to claim the Extreme Poker crown and
the privilege of landing with the plane rather than jumping.
"Everything about this tournament was extreme - the height,
the heat of the Vegas desert, and the amazing skill of my competitors,"
said Grudzien. "I can honestly say this has been one of
the toughest tournaments of my life, and I am grateful to InterPoker.com
for giving me the opportunity to come to the World Series of Poker
and participate in 'Loser's Leap,' as well as the chance to unwind
and play some poker in the Caribbean later this year."
For his win, Grudzien will receive a $13,000 prize package that includes
an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2006 Caribbean Poker Classic as well
as the buy-in for the event.
Previous Extreme Poker Challenges have seen underwater and Arctic
ice shelf tournaments.